It was all going so well

I was due an embarrassing experience. I had gone for about a month without one, so in fairness, based on past experience and statistics I should have seen this coming.

Yesterday London experienced what can only be called tropical storms throughout the day and consequently this morning my cycle ride to work was littered with puddles. I cut through Hyde Park for the final part of my cycle, its quiet and no road traffic and I like to escape the pollution and looming buses on my tail for 5 minutes. Hyde Park has many bridal paths which today resembled mud slides due to the floods that covered them yesterday. I had to cross the bridal path to get to the cycle path and there was no other way across. I could just see it happening like some freaky premonition. "Just take it slowly, you'll be fine" I whispered to myself clinging on to the handle bars for dear life. I slowly edged over the bridal path and then as I exited I got cocky and tried to turn onto the normal cycle path and woosh, whole bikegoes from beneath me in the mudslide and I land boom on my side flat down in the mud slide.

At this precise moment about 50 members of the Household Cavalry on their early morning exercise in Hyde Park came sprinting past. I stupidly screamed like a little girl as I landed in the mud with a splash and consequently they all turned round to see me lying in the mud with my bike on top of me.

"Are you alright?!"

"Everything ok there?"

About 20 of them started to run towards me as I tried to wriggle from under the bike and covering myself in more mud. They were then promptly yelled at by their leader to "Leave her alone, you and you can go and see she's ok. The rest of you carry on."

Oh great. I thought. I was in that fragile state where I wasn't sure to laugh or cry and once I managed to get out from under my bike the sheer humiliation of the episode took over and I leapt up yelling out "I'm fine, I'm fine, please just stay where you are, I'm just um... going to go" I limped off with my bike absolutely coverered in mud. Plus it was yellow mud from the bridal path so mixed on my black leggings just looked like I had had some awful loo accident. Really all this before 8:15 am???

Cycling off I realised my handle bars had gone wonky and a bruise was already forming on my right bottom cheek from the impact.

Just to top it off, I got in the lift at work only to be joined by one of the senior partners I'm currently trying to impress who looked at me rather dubiously as I stood there looking like I'd dropped in to Glastonbury for a mud rave on my way to work. I did manage to explain and hopefully my "bravery" will be seen as some skill in any future potential promotions.

So far the rest of the day seems to have gone by fine, although I am dreading putting my leggings back on for the cycle home. One things for sure, I am avoiding that bridal path on the way home.

Thank goodness its Friday!